REVAMP: REVISITED

Okay, so to launch this blogsite I started off by developing a personal project I called ‘REVAMP’, I had a hard drive filled with older projects and unfinished pieces, some were just general ideas, some old uni assignments and others were those beautiful concepts you had in mind and just wanted to see completed – but had no idea where to start! *BTW – ‘The Urban Ninja’ was also one of those dreams which I decided to just run with...!

After coming to an end of university I started thinking of the opportunity I now had to revisit these old pieces and see what could be done with them.

It hasn’t been till recently that I chosen to get into the visual effects/design part of the industry, trying to pick up real skills in 3D modelling and visual effects animation. Before then however, my skills were in character design and concept art. Here are some of the developments I’ve got so far from aiming to complete these pieces.

Trent Nova: intergalactic Space Marine

This character was a product of my imagination from my cartoonist phase. Trent Nova is a rough and tough space marine and part of an intergalactic space corp. Exploring the universe and building rations between alien civilizations  Armed with his gadgets and his wits Trent Nova faces the perils of the galaxy, and battle evil forces head on. I intended this character to originally be developed into a comedy cartoon sketch as he travels the universe and boldly went where no-one wanted to go!

*A quick concept sketch layout of the BG scene.

*I still might develop this further in the future.

The Art of the Samurai

This is a very outlandish character deign I had. Trying stylistic approaches to characters at the time this was a samurai type figure that I sketched a while back, I thought that this character was pretty funny and deserved to be returned to and sketched over. Eventually I’m hoping to play around with painting styles and colour theory on this design as well as paint a concept scene behind him.

Barb the Butcher

This was a hilarious figure I designed a while ago as well, based on all those stereotypical “fat lady” characters you see on TV (...think of the creepy mother from Goonies, etc.) When I drew her all I kept seeing was “Barb” as a butcher, wielding a massive meat cleaver which she would wave around as she chased you with it. The character is so exaggerated from everything down to rollers in her hair and the horrid wart on her face. Again this character/design was intended for exploring both character design and painting techniques. I’m aiming to go back to these characters soon and paint them with a style which is unique to me and my humour.

*Work in progress.

Set Share

This was a project I worked on during the summer of last year, developing a web brand for a friend and his music launch site. Set Share aimed at bringing and promoting new and upcoming musicians to the spotlight. Targeted at people all over the world and designed with the idea of being a new type of social networking site. When designing this logo my friend had a very ‘unique’ style of describing the notion and a very clear and set out idea of how he saw it, his main thought was on the iconic speaker in the middle as it circled the globe. This was an interesting project because it allowed me to get into using my designs and mixing them with visual effects, as I constructed the space/globe scene using Adobe After Effects, a program I love to use. It also helped me listen and build dialogue with people I worked with and understand their ideas better to explore my artistic style.

*Animated intro screen.

Blues Night

Blues night was probably one of my biggest projects I developed. Back in 2008 I was asked to develop a mural for a friend’s father, he had a pub and wanted something for his back room, which would draw people in and bring to their attention his rhythm and blues nights that he promoted. We designed the theme of a band of performers all playing and enveloping the room and it’s four walls, like a stage standing over the customers. Each character held a personified strength of the iconic ideas of Blues, i.e. the sexy singer with a beautiful voice, the veteran old man guitarist and the rhythmic pianist etc.

I eventually went back to this design and chose to ‘REVAMP’ it, to do all the characters and instruments in high detail. The piece is HUGE and took a high level of detail and attention over that summer, and ventured further as I tried to add character to my characters.

I’ll probably complete the mural and paint it over this summer, as my painting style aims to improve.

*Lined mural piece - A3 size page, I imagine this with loads of colours in it!.

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This is just a little taster of how I wasted my time all year and where I hope to go next with my designs. Thanks guys!

Keep watching this space, to see how I progress and what I post next.

--Un313--

Three: It's a manic number...

S’up people,

So it’s finally here, the end of the development stage of character concepts.

Below are the last three characters I’ve been working on for the ‘Urban Ninja’s’ first saga, ‘The Axiom’. Introducing “Trio”, an elite group of highly trained and  assembled mercenaries, hired and developed by Victor Shaw, Trio set out to capture and apprehend the Ninja one way or another, and will have him face the serious forces of Red Ogre, Black Viper and The Gunslinger in an all out war across the city. 

Completing all the characters at this stage feels like such an achievement for me. Starting from a simple concept of what kind of characters and foes I wanted to see the Ninja interact with I developed these final three characters from a ‘Tabula rasa’, [a blank slate]. As I wondered who and what the Ninja would be fighting against I thought about what it was that the character himself was fighting for. It was for a shift, a point where the fundamentals of his world had to change. This would be where he forces an effort for change and as he does, logically I saw all the points of the old ways (this old world) personifying in these characters against him. ‘Trio’ set out to be the fighters of the old world elected for battle against our protagonist, the first real obstacle in his way. 

In the end the best way I could imagine this was with having it portrayed through the classic ‘old skool’ kung-fu mythos of guns vs. blades, as one deadly practice challenges the other.

I chose to develop these characters as assassins and experts in marksmanship. Each character would have a trait that worked well as an individual but could always relate to squad based fighting and gun fire/gun kata tactics.

    Everything about Trio says that “This is a unit! This is a squad!” This was why one character couldn't be revealed without the others. Each member has a similar design in their outfits and their style of technology, but all relate to one another all the while having a way to show their personalised uniqueness at the same time.     

    
Not much can be said for their back stories, as mercenaries you seldom have one, let alone one known by many...! Their duty is to Shaw and the job, with pleasure taken in the capture and the kill...

Red Ogre 

    Standing at a colossal 7'3" is Red Ogre, a strategic and tactical cybernetic sentry. With no name and no known ID Red Ogre, (A.K.A. The Berserker) is a product of the team and a virtual resilient force against any artillery fire. 
    Encased inside a sub-sonic sound generator Ogre can manipulate and produce powerfully high and low dense sub-sonic frequencies, with the ability to level buildings or shatter solid objects with precision from distance.    

Black Viper

Black Vipre is as cold as they come, with a conniving and warped style of combat.            Practically a complete automaton Vipre is more machine than woman having her commands and settings programmed into her. A keen, gracious and deadly fighter she battles with two electro-stun bull whip blades, able to strike at any point. Although she never speaks the shrill and haunting static of her voice modulator often resembles sounds of childish laughter as she dismembers her victims. 

The Gunslinger

Commander of the squad, The Gunslinger is a brutal and deadly marksmen, and a stone cold killer. Developed with cybernetic and human augmentations The Gunslinger (NAME: UNKNOWN/CLASSIFIED) commands the group and keeps them as a unit, always ready for the next job. 
    Still choosing to wear his sniper commander jacket The Gunslinger appears as a type of Neo-cowboy, and battles with dual wielding plasma pulse pistols and his high powered gunblade. 
    The Gunslinger realises a keen fighter in the Ninja and aims to crush that spirit before he brings him back to Shaw, The Gunslinger is a soldier and believes in fighting for the conglomerate.

***

I really hope to develop what these characters can do in a world of graphic novels, especially with the Urban Ninja's world. I'm working on colour theories next for the characters and will try and enter the world of concept painting and colour theory. As I do I'll include a new post & thread with the character cast for the first saga.

--Un313--